Voltron High School AU
by midillu
Summary: So this is my Highschool!Voltron Universe, a series of angsty/fluffy drabbles inspired by songs. All song credits to original owners, I don't own Voltron, etc etc. Klance for sure. Other ships probably to be platonic. Songfics!
1. AU Summary

**So this is my Highschool!Voltron Universe, a series of angsty/fluffy drabbles inspired by songs. All song credits to original owners, I don't own Voltron, etc etc. First chapter is a summary of the universe in story form, and then on to the drabbles. Klance for sure. Other ships probably to be platonic. I am taking requests, but mostly for/with songs. In other words, if you have a request, give me a song title. Any specific plot idea is not required, but if you have one, I'd be happy to hear it.**

Hunk and Lance became friends when they were toddlers. They both came from rather large families, that happened to live right next door to each other, and since their mothers were close, they practically lived at each others' houses. So naturally, when Lance decided he wanted to go to Voltron Tech, an up-and-coming boarding school not two hours away, Hunk decided to go with him.

The duo got scholarships for their sophomore to senior years of high school (how that's possible, no one knows), and headed off to school. They managed to get a dorm room together, and by the end of the first two months they had managed to fit right in. They got partnered with Pidge within the first couple of weeks, and the three quickly became inseparable. Both Lance and Hunk loved their classes, and Lance felt like he was in heaven. Everything was perfect. Well, except for _him;_ the stuck up, pompous jerk.

* * *

Keith only decided to go to VT because of his brother. Shiro was a junior when their dad died, and Keith was a freshman, but they were left with enough to get them through school. Shiro started working almost immediately anyways, picking up some odd jobs here and there, enough to have a little extra now and then. When Shiro was offered a full-ride scholarship in early June to a fancy new school, he couldn't refuse. A month after he got the invitation, and a day after he attended the orientation, he was already trying to convince Keith to attend as well.

Keith was reluctant, comfortable with where he was, but he couldn't refuse the scholarship he was offered (after Shiro sent in an extensive recommendation letter, _against_ Keith's wishes). Neither brother wanted to move into the student housing provided by the school, as the dorms were separated by grade level and Keith refused to go if he was going to be separated from his only remaining family. So they kept the apartment they had lived in for years with their dad, only a short bus ride from the school, and started school together.

Two weeks after Shiro and Keith started, Shiro came home all excited about this guy he had met. That weekend Keith got to meet Matt, and was surprised to find that he didn't mind the guy. Keith had never been social, _especially_ after their dad died, but he found himself becoming comfortable around Matt. Especially after meeting Matt's eccentric younger sister, he was forced to admit that he had started to love the Holt siblings.

Keith was starting to feel satisfied with his life. Maybe even happy. That is, except for _him;_ that obnoxious prick that couldn't seem to leave him alone.

* * *

Pidge was probably a genius. She had skipped a year (she probably would've skipped more, but both her dad and her brother wanted to make sure she still got the chance to be social, to be a teenager), and she excelled in all things computer. Her father taught her how to code when she was eight, and she bonded with her brother over computers. The two were nerds to the core, and proud of it. Pidge had also developed a love for science, and was always experimenting on something or another.

When Voltron Tech heard about some of Matt and Pidge's work, they were immediately recruited. They had been recruited by numerous schools before, but for some reason they were both drawn to that one. When Pidge met Hunk and Lance, and Matt met Shiro and Keith, they wouldn't shut up about them. Finally, after a few weeks of nonestop chatter about their new friends and their new school, their dad asked (begged) them to get their friends together and spend time with them, instead of just talking about them. So they planned a group hangout.

Almost everyone immediately got along, that is except for Lance and Keith. The two went together like oil and water. Pidge and Matt found out later, through Shiro and Hunk, that the two had been rivals from day one. Always at each others' throats. So the Holt duo made it their mission to force Keith and Lance to get along.

It took awhile, but eventually the rivalry died down to playful teasing. The two could still argue over nothing, but it was more for the hell of it than anything. Their group quickly settled into a comfortable routine, hanging out before school, during lunch and free periods, after school, and on weekends. None of them really understood why their little band of misfits worked, but it did. And who were they to question it?


	2. Hold On Part 1- Unsteady

**Inspired by the song Unsteady by X Ambassadors.**

 **TW- Anxiety, depression. I want to note that anxiety and depression are different for everyone who has them. So really, I don't feel like there's a right or wrong. I based a lot of these on my personal experiences, as well as those of some people close to me.**

 _Hold, hold on,  
_ _Hold on to me.  
_ _'Cause I'm a little unsteady,  
_ _A little unsteady_

 _Hold, hold on,  
_ _Hold on to me.  
_ _'Cause I'm a little unsteady,  
_ _A little unsteady_.

* * *

 **Summary- Keith has a panic attack/mental breakdown in the middle of the night, and calls Lance for help.**

Keith couldn't breathe. His chest was tight, his lungs burned, and he couldn't help the intense panic flooding his body. He practically fell out of bed, desperate to get out, to get _out_. He couldn't see, it was dark. It was hard to breathe. He managed to get to the light switch, trying to call out to Shiro, to anyone. He couldn't make his voice work though, all he managed was a pathetic whimper. Keith was _scared_.

After flipping on the light, he managed to retain some level of rational thinking. Then he remembered, Shiro wasn't home. He had been invited to go with Matt to the midnight showing of a nerd movie that Keith had had no interest in, and had planned to just crash at the Holts' place for the night. So that meant Pidge had gone with them. Okay. So he's alone. Keith couldn't breathe, again.

Who could he call? He managed to find his phone, still on his desk, and tried to press the power button with trembling fingers. His vision became blurry, as tears of frustration welled up, making it even harder to get the stupid thing to turn on.

He wiped his eyes furiously when he succeeded, trying to be able see his contact screen enough that he could decide who to call. Of course, it's not like he has very many contacts. He already knew his only other option, as he didn't really know Hunk well enough yet to call him, though he didn't want to call them. But he couldn't bother Shiro. He was having fun. He had been planing this with Matt for the last week, and who was Keith to mess things up for him? Shiro worried about him enough as it was. No, he couldn't give Shiro any more stress.

He sighed, turning his phone off, trying to figure out if he could just try going back to bed or something. He got his answer in the form of an indescribable, constricting fear crawling its way up his throat. _No,_ he decided, _I have to call him._ He crawled back into bed, taking his phone with him, trying desperately to ignore any and all thoughts of doubt creeping up into his mind at the thought of calling Lance, and failing miserably.

 _What if he laughs?_

 _What if he thinks I'm crazy?_

 _What if he never talks to me again?_

 _What if he starts treating me differently?_

 _What if he starts making fun of me?_

 _What if he tells everyone else?_

 _What if they stop liking me?_

Keith bit back a strangled sob, he had to stop doing this to himself. It wasn't helping. It was making things worse, but he couldn't stop. The panic, the stress of the past week, his fears and insecurities, they were trying to consume him. He needed... something. He was about to stand up, his body trying to switch to autopilot, when he got ahold of himself.

Before he lost his nerve, he hit the call button. He listened to the dial tone, and wondered if Lance was even awake. The doubts were starting to creep up again, when he heard the familiar click, signaling that someone had picked up.

"Keith?" He sounded confused. Oh, of course; it's fucking 2:30 am. Keith sighed, running his fingers through his hair. Before he got up the nerve to speak, Lance was talking again. "It's 2:30, do you need something...?"

This was a bad idea, he should just hang up. Something's going to go wrong, he should just- "I'm not okay!" He blurted, shocked at his own words filling up the silence on both ends of the line. He swallowed the lump in his throat, running his fingers through his hair again. "I'm, god Lance, I'm not okay," his voice cracked towards the end of it, and he couldn't help feeling frustrated with himself.

What was Lance even supposed to say to that? Keith was being weak, and vague on top of that. Why should Lance care? Why should Lance care about him at all? He didn't need to bother trying to decipher Keith's riddles. He's never really been _nice_ to Lance, so why should he- "I'll be there in less than ten. Don't move. It'll be okay." The line clicked off, and Keith was left staring at the phrase flashing on his phone.

 _Call ended_

Keith sighed, flopping back down on his bed, trying to get himself together at least a little before Lance arrived. He failed spectacularly. All the 'what ifs' kept circulating through his brain, making his chest feel tighter and tighter, and he could feel an ache in his chest. He knew this ache, it was familiar. It happened whenever he was in emotional pain.

It didn't happen often, and it was probably the reason why he tried his best to remain closed off to others, but whenever it did happen, he couldn't bear it. It hurts worse than physical pain, because _you can't make it go away_. You can't tell your heart to stop hurting. There's no potion for that. No antibiotics, no band-aids, no antiseptic. That's not how it works. All you are left with is an emptiness that stems from stress, anxiety, and hurt.

So all Keith could do was wrap his arms around his pillow, and cry. Maybe Lance would come. Maybe he'd save him from his demons. Maybe, for just one night, he could be okay.

* * *

The knock on the door was insistent, and it forced Keith to leave the comfort of his bed. Lance must've remembered the key under the "The Neighbors Have Better Stuff" doormat though, as almost as soon as Keith got his bedroom door open, Lance had thrown open the door to the apartment. They stared at each other for a moment, before Keith lost his balance. Lance jumped forward, barely catching him as they both fell to the hardwood floor.

The tears were in Keith's eyes, down his cheeks, and dripping off his chin, and Lance gently brushed the tears away with the pads of his thumbs. "What's wrong?" He whispered softly, his eyebrows furrowed in worry. "'Cause I swear I'll kill the bastard that made you cry. Only I'm allowed to do that." Lance teased, probably trying to lighten the mood a little.

Keith couldn't help thinking that that was just like Lance, to crack a joke in the middle of a serious moment, and Keith appreciated it. He tried to laugh, but it just came out as a sob, as he cried harder, burying his face in Lance's shoulder.

"S-sorry," He mumbled into Lance's shirt.

"It's fine," Lance shifted, pulling Keith into his lap, cradling him and holding him close. "Besides, I bet you've been holding everything together for a long time. It's okay to be unsteady every once in a while. It's okay to let someone else bear your burdens for a bit." Keith choked out a sob at his friend's kind words, and Lance started petting his hair gently.

"You'll be okay Keith. I've got you." He rocked Keith gently, resting his chin on the raven's head, humming a lullaby. Keith relaxed into the vibrations, as he slowly calmed down. Eventually he stopped crying, but he didn't pull away from Lance. Instead, he cuddled further into him. He was almost asleep, after completely tiring himself out, when Lance spoke gently.

"Are you alright?" Keith had to think a moment, shifting to look up at Lance for a moment, before hiding his face in Lance's shirt once more.

"No," he admitted softly, and Lance had to strain to hear him. "But I'm better, thanks to you..."

He couldn't _see_ Lance's cheeky grin, but he had a feeling it was there. "I'm glad, mullet." The insult had no bite to it, and Keith didn't miss the relief in Lance's tone. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"...Not right now." Keith said, trying to tell Lance that he would, and he was grateful for Lance, but he was too tired to talk after all the crying.

"Alright, how about a movie? We can steal all the blankets and pillows and make a huge pile and sleep right in front of the tv, king of the hill style." Lance grinned, switching gears quickly, and he didn't miss the way Keith's face barely concealed a smile.

"Sure."

* * *

Seven hours later, Shiro arrived home to find not one, but two teenagers passed out on top of a massive, yet comfortable blob of bedding in the living room. He couldn't help but note the fact that they were tangled in each other's arms, Keith cuddled into Lance's chest. Shiro raised an eyebrow, curious as to _how_ in the world _that_ had happened, but he chose not to question it. Instead, he pulled his phone out of his pocket, and took a picture of the sight, proceeding to send it to Matt, Pidge, and Hunk.

Once sent, he headed off to his own room, as you don't get any sleep when you spend an evening at the Holt residence. With the possibility of pranks, explosions, or the examining of any and all information contained on your electronic devices (or a mixture of the above) hanging over your head, it gave you an incentive to stay awake.


	3. Hold On Part 2- Sleep Alone

**Song is Sleep Alone, by Two Door Cinema Club. Requested by** free_fonder **on AO3.**

* * *

 _Oh, hold, hold, hold_

 _Hold me close_

 _I've never been this far from home_

 _Hold, hold, hold me close_

 _He sleeps alone_

 _He needs no army where he's headed_

 _'Cause he knows_

 _That they're just ghosts_

 _And they can't hurt him if he can't see them, oh_

* * *

 **Summary-** **Takes place the day after Unsteady. Keith and Lance discuss what happened, Lance is an awkward homosexual, and Keith talks about his anxiety.**

When the boys woke up, light was flooding the apartment. Lance was the first one to wake, eyes opening slowly as he glanced around. He noticed a few things almost immediately.

First, this isn't his bedroom.

Second, his arm's asleep. And definitely numb.

Third, there's something warm clutching him.

Fourth, _holy shit Keith is cute when he sleeps._

Wait... what?

Lance had to do a double take, before he remembered what had occurred the night before. He had been peacefully asleep, his speaker playing relaxing music, with his sleep mask on, when his chest had started vibrating. Apparently, he had left his phone on his chest before falling asleep, forgetting to put it on his nightstand. And good thing too, because Keith was upset. And who was he to ignore the desperate call of his damsel in distress?

So he had hurried over, somehow managing to find clothing that was (probably) clean, and changing out of his pajamas. He had knocked on the door impatiently, worried out of his mind, before he remembered Keith and Shiro left a spare key under the mat. Stereotypical, but handy. Especially considering how derpy and forgetful Shiro could be. And useful when there was a damsel to be saved and time was of the essence. Because it's dangerous to go alone, so-

Okay. He's done. _Back to the topic at hand_ ; Keith is adorable when he sleeps. Because that deserves another mention. And that is most definitely the truth. Lance looked down at the other male currently cuddled into his chest, a peaceful look on his face. It was really endearing, for a face that usually held some sort of angry/frustrated/stoic expression. There's only one word to describe it.

Beautiful.

Romanticism aside, he didn't think he'd ever seen anything more breathtaking. No homo. Oh, who was he kidding. _**So much homo.**_

He stiffened when he felt the raven shift, and watched him open bleary eyes, with his hands gripping Lance's shirt, still cuddled into him, and he's just so _precious_.

Lance can't stand it. The urge to kiss him is overwhelming. _Oh come on, Lance,_ he chastised himself. _Keep it in your pants for once. Hold it together. Don't hit on him. God, don't hit on him._

He could pinpoint the moment that Keith was hit with the realization of his situation. His eyes widened, his cheeks started to redden, and he froze. And the silence was suffocating. Lance still had his arms around Keith for fuck's sake. They both stared at each other, neither daring to breathe, until they heard a car horn outside. That jerked them out of their trance, and they jumped away from each other, blushing intensely.

Lance cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. He was about to speak up, when Keith beat him to the punch.

"Um, are you hungry? I'm sure we've got bacon or something..." Keith didn't meet his gaze, but Lance got the feeling it was more from the mortification of waking up in your best friend's arms, than discomfort from the same circumstance.

"Yeah, sure." They moved to the small kitchen, Keith pulling out different ingredients while Lance rested against the counter, watching.

There was silence between them for a few minutes, until Lance got up the nerve to speak over the sizzling of the bacon and eggs on the stove.

"Hey, Keith?" He got a grunt of acknowledgement, and a quick glance in his direction, giving him enough courage to continue his train of thought. "So... are we going to talk about last night? I mean, we don't have to if you really don't want to, and I won't pry I guess, but I was just wondering..." He drifted off, looking to Keith hopefully.

Keith sighed, and Lance took that as a no. He waited quietly for the food to be done, praying things weren't too awkward between them after all of this was over. It wasn't until they were sitting down on the couch to eat that Keith spoke, poking at his eggs with his fork.

"I have really bad anxiety," he admitted quietly, and Lance turned to face him, food forgotten in his lap. "I'm okay for the most part, with panic attacks now and then, but after it builds up for a while..." Keith trailed off, staring at his fork.

"It's bad," Lance finished, watching Keith nod.

"It's not just the unreasonable and uncontrollable fear and stuff, it's like all my insecurities that I can usually bottle up, kind of come loose and wreak havoc on my mental state. I know it's not real, I know it's not the truth, but it feels like it. It's basically reliving all my mistakes as my brain tells me why no one can love me. Why I'm worthless.

"Usually Shiro is there, and he's learned how to help me and stuff, but he was chilling with Matt last night, and I didn't want to bother him. I know he doesn't mind, he wants to help me and stuff, but I wanted to let him have fun. He's been stressed and he didn't need to be taking care of me on top of that." Keith sighed, leaning back to look up at the ceiling, his head on the headrest of the couch. "I didn't know who else to call..."

"I'm glad I could help," Lance's voice was uncharacteristically quiet, and he placed a reassuring hand on Keith's shoulder. Keith turned his head to look over at Lance, and gave him an almost-smile.

"Hey!" Lance suddenly sat up, turning to Keith almost excitedly. "We should have a code!" Keith looked at him like he was absolutely insane. "Don't look at me like that, I'm serious! Okay, so like, whenever you or I don't really want to be alone, or something is kinda wrong and we need help, we should have some sort of codeword or something so we don't really have to be like, 'hey, my brain is telling me I'm a worthless fuck and I need some help', or 'I'm inexplicably upset right now, and afraid of nothing and everything', or just, 'I need a hug'."

Keith looked thoughtful, before shrugging. "Doesn't sound like a bad idea, what were you thinking?"

"Hm," Lance rested his chin on his hand thoughtfully. "What about the Richter Scale?"

"What?" Keith asked, bemused. "What's that?"

"It's used for measuring the magnitude of earthquakes. So how about this, for our purposes, zero to four mean it's a pretty good day. five to seven mean it's starting to get bad, maybe a change of scenery could be useful, but it's still manageable. Eight to ten are like SOS, it's bad, and you need help. Oh, and you've gotta put an 'RS' after the number, so I know for sure what you're referring to. How's that? Will you be able to remember that?"

"That should work, I think I can remember that," Keith nodded, and Lance settled back down into the couch, satisfied. Neither had spoken for a few minutes when Lance felt a pressure on his shoulder. He looked down, and found that Keith had scooted over to rest his head on Lance's shoulder.

He stared at the raven questioningly, and, as if he could read his mind, Keith spoke up softly. "Just, don't move. I'm tired." Lance found Keith's tsundere tendencies endearing, and was proud of Keith for (basically) admitting he wanted a little comfort, but he didn't tease him for fear of ruining the tender moment and discouraging Keith from trusting him like this in the future.

Lance shifted enough to gently wrap his arm around Keith's shoulders, and they stayed like that for a long time. Of course, they were so lost in their own thoughts that they didn't notice Shiro, who stepped out of his room, hair tousled from sleep, took one look at the two cuddled up on the couch, and turned right back around to go back to bed.


	4. Little Do You Know

**Okay, so this takes place probably a week or two after Unsteady.**

 _Little do you know,_

 _How I'm breaking while you fall asleep._

 _Little do you know,_

 _I'm still haunted by the memories._

 _Little do you know,_

 _I'm trying to pick myself up piece by piece._

 _Little do you know I,_

 _Need a little more time..._

 _Underneath it all,_

 _I'm held captive by the hole inside_

 _I've been holding back,_

 _For the fear that you might change your mind..._

* * *

 **Summary- Lance gets stressed out and insecure, and just wants someone to talk to, and Keith unwittingly helps reassure him.**

Lance was sitting at his desk, homework in front of him, phone in his hand. He had been talking to Keith for the last three hours, successfully procrastinating doing homework. He looked at the time on his phone; 1:22 am. Keith had first texted him around 10, and he had almost immediately responded, shrugging off the half page of homework he had left. He planned to take a break for about 20 minutes and talk to his friend. So much for that.

He sighed, giving up on finishing the stupid worksheet and deciding to just crawl into bed. The class was in the afternoon anyways, so he could get everything finished during lunch.

His phone chimed, and the teen immediately glanced down. He grinned when he saw the contact name of the person who'd sent the incoming message, immediately unlocking his phone.

 **Oh whatever -Mullet**

 **So did you end up getting the worksheet done? -Mullet**

 **Nah, I'll do it in the morning -You**

 **Well, make sure you don't fail the class or something -Mullet**

 **It'd be awkward if you had to drop out of school -Mullet**

 **Awwwww, you DO care -You**

Lance grinned, and they continued to banter back and forth. The next time Lance glanced at the clock, it read 2:43 am. Of course, immediately after, he got the text he'd been dreading.

 **Hey, I'm getting tired, I might go to bed soon -Mullet**

 **Oh -You**

 **Are you good? -Mullet**

Lance paused before he answered, knowing what Keith was really asking. Ever since Keith had had that one panic attack, they had created a code for before they went to bed. They both agreed it was awkward to ask "are you okay" every night, and it was easier to admit when you weren't if you weren't _actually_ saying it.

 **I'll be just fine, Mullet -You**

He ignored the tight feeling in his chest as he typed. In all honesty, he wasn't feeling all that hot. But he didn't want to keep Keith up just for him, the other teen had enough on his plate already. He didn't need to be babysitting Lance 24/7. _No,_ Lance decided, _I'll be just fine. It isn't worth getting Keith all worked up, I'll just go to bed._

 **As long as you're sure -Mullet**

 **You just get your beauty sleep. We all know what happens when our princess gets cranky -You**

 **Aw, Lance, don't talk about yourself like that :P -Mullet**

 **...Oh shut your quiznak -You**

 **WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?! -Mullet**

 **Night, Keith~ -You**

Lance chuckled softly, pressing the power button on his phone and rolling over, trying to sleep. He closed his mind off to everything, so obviously he wasn't hyper-aware of how dark his room was all of a sudden.

He didn't pull his blankets closer for protection.

His chest didn't tighten from all the doubt that seeped into his body, from all the insecurities gripping him.

A tear didn't slip down his cheeks as he questioned why his friends would even care about him.

And really, why should they? He's just a nuisance anyways. Always getting on everyone's nerves. Pushing their buttons. He choked on a harsh sob, feeling the darkness start to consume him. He figured he'd just wait it out, it's not like he hasn't done this before. He'd be fine in the morning. Yeah, he'll do better tomorrow.

He'll try not to piss off Pidge.

He'll remember to give Hunk a hug, he knows the beefy guy is a sucker for hugs.

He'll try to be nicer to Keith, maybe only fight with him once or twice.

He'll try not to exasperate Shiro, lord knows the guy has enough stress already.

And things would go back to normal. Like they always do. Right?

He shut his eyes a little tighter, gripped the bedspread a little harder, and curled a little further into himself, trying to at least cry quietly. He didn't want to wake up Hunk. Then he'd make a big deal out of it, and fuss over Lance, becoming overprotective just like a momma bear. Sure, he'd be fine.

* * *

Keith sighed, rubbing his eyes, feeling the weight of the day finally catch up to him. His day had started early, and obviously ended late. Whenever he and Lance texted, it always ended up being after two in the morning before one of them would finally get tired. Whether it was arguing, chatting, or discussing homework, the time always seemed to get away from them. Keith wouldn't admit it, but he liked talking to Lance. The other male always managed to make his day better, even when it's just by keeping his mind off of everything else.

He turned off his light and crawled back into bed, settling down for the light. Shiro had probably been asleep for hours, and Keith appreciated that his brother never nagged him to go to sleep. Shiro understood how bad his insomnia could be, and they had come to the understanding that, as long as Keith got up in the morning, Shiro wouldn't nag him about going to bed. It was a nice arrangement, and more often than not Keith was up before him anyways. The raven glanced at the clock, 2:57.

Keith closed his eyes, tired enough that he just might get four or five hours of sleep. He relaxed, drifting off to sleep rather quickly.

When he woke, the sun hadn't yet shown it's face, he looked over at the clock, wondering if he had enough time to fall back to sleep for another half hour. His brow furrowed as he stared at the red digits, rereading them over and over. He finally groaned, flopping back down. 3:11.

He had managed to wake up after not even fifteen minutes. His internal clock had to be off. That had to be it, that or Lance had messed it up. Yeah, let's go with that. It's better than trying to come up with a more logical reason while half asleep. He rolled onto his side, hoping that he could, just maybe, fall back asleep. He was already tired, and half asleep; perfect combination.

Or not.

After another twenty minutes, he gave up, letting his mind wander. To his friends, to his brother, and to Lance. And really, he didn't know why he was thinking about Lance. Sure they were friends. Well, probably best friends. Or, at least, Lance was Keith's best friend. Lance's best friend was probably Hunk. The two had known each other since they were little. How can you compete with that? Answer: you can't. At least, _he_ couldn't.

But he shook those types of thoughts out of his head. He liked hanging with Lance, and Hunk was a pretty good guy too. Plus, he made _really_ good food. Like, the guy could probably be a master chef if he wanted to. Now that he thought about it, Keith was almost positive Hunk was taking some culinary classes. But that's beside the point.

Keith couldn't help but wonder what Lance wants to do when he graduates. While he wasn't particularly talented at anything, he was pretty good at picking up skills like they're chicks. Of course, he has more luck learning than he does with the ladies.

And that got him thinking. And the more he thought about it, the more curious he got, and the more eager he was to ask Lance about it. Finally, he gave up, deciding to just call Lance. Taking into account how Lance seemed disappointed when he said he was going to bed, Keith doubted the other teen had already gone to bed.

He groped for his phone, and ended up having to turn on the lamp on his nightstand in order to find it. When he did, he quickly found Lance's contact, and hit call.

* * *

Lance jumped when he felt his phone buzzing next to him. He groped blindly, following the vibrations, and didn't bother trying to make out the caller ID through his tears. He did clear his throat though, trying to retain some semblance of normalcy, or at least enough to avoid an awkward conversation.

"Hello?" His voice was quiet, using the guise of it being late at night to conceal his rough voice. Because, hey, it was partially true at least.

"Hey, it's me."

"Keith, didn't you say you were going to bed?" Lance questioned, and sniffed. He couldn't help it, his nose was runny from all the crying.

"Yeah, I was, but I was gonna- are you crying?" Keith interrupted himself, and Lance cursed how perceptive the oblivious fuck could be at times.

"No," Lance bit his lip, praying Keith hadn't noticed how his voice wavered.

"You liar..." his tone had no bite, mildly concealed worry tainting his usually confident tone.

"I..." Lance searched for something, anything to keep Keith from prying further.

"Lance, I won't ask. If you don't want to tell me, then it's not my business. I just wish you had told me before I left you alone." Keith's words brought a lump to his throat, and he swallowed hard.

"I...I know. I'm sorry, I just, I know how hard it is for you to sleep sometimes. And you have enough to worry about as it is, you shouldn't have to deal with my shit too."

"I, dude we talked about this. You help me out when I'm a wreck, and I'll be here for you when you need it. It's not rocket science. We- shit. You said you'd tell me... and you made me promise. Lance... I," Lance knew Keith was losing his nerve. He knew the raven had never been good with words or relationships. But if he was trying...

"I know..." He trailed off, trying to find the right words, and Keith waited patiently. "I'm sorry, I should've spoken up. I just, you're not stuck with me, you know? And I don't want you to feel like you are. Hunk," he paused, smiling wryly. "Hunk is. We've been together since we were in diapers, and he's always felt the need to help me carry my burdens. But Keith, you don't have to. You don't owe me anything, you're not obligated to-"

"You think I'm doing this out of guilt or pity or some shit?" The words were soft, but there was a certain hardness to them that made Lance instantly shut up. "Oh my god, you idiot... Look. I know I'm not good at this shit. I've never been able to make friends like you can. And I know that you've had issues, _because_ you're such a people person. But don't lump me in with those assholes that take advantage of you and put these ridiculous notions in your head. I'm not here trying to gain something.

"Honestly, I like talking to you. That is, when you aren't being a pretentious prick or a royal pain in the ass. You come up with crazy ideas, and hell will freeze over before you finally shut up, but you're a good guy. And you naturally have social skills that I've been trying to develop since I was four.

"I know that I can't compete with Hunk, but I like hanging out with you. So any reason you can come up with to tell yourself that I don't want to be bothered with your problems, is complete bullshit. So get off your high horse and _tell_ me when you need me." Lance couldn't stop the smile that managed to grace his face for a moment, before it was drowned out by the sob that wracked his body, dragged out as a wave composed off all his stress and fears washed over him.

"Keith," He whispered, his voice coming out as a choked whisper. "I need you."


	5. Colors

**Okay, so I don't know how long this is going to be. This is probably going to be the one decently long fic that I write for this series. I don't know where I'll end it, or even if I'll turn it into anything more than a two or three chapter story.**

 _Everything is blue,_

 _His pills, his hands, his jeans,_  
 _And now I'm covered in the colors,  
Pull apart at the seams  
And it's blue,  
And it's blue._

 _Everything is grey,_  
 _His hair, his smoke, his dreams_  
 _And now he's so devoid of color_  
 _He don't know what it means_  
 _And he's blue,_  
 _And he's blue._

* * *

 **Summary-** **Something is seriously wrong with Lance. And Keith is determined to get to the bottom of it- whatever it takes.**

First, Keith noticed, it was the quiet. Suddenly, Lance wasn't being as boisterous as usual. It wasn't really abrupt, if he thinks about it, but it did worry him. As long as he had known him, Lance was _loud_. He was obnoxious, outgoing, comedic, and everything that Keith wasn't. It used to bug him, annoy him to no end, when the guy _wouldn't. Shut. Up._ But he had since learned, that that was just who Lance was.

Lance liked being in big groups. He liked people. He loved making people laugh, and he loved to tease. That was his personality, and his extroverted tendencies made him approachable. So when Lance stopped hanging out with most people, started sticking to Hunk more and more, and started talking less and less, it didn't take an idiot to figure out that something was wrong. And Keith could definitely be an idiot sometimes.

It probably took him _way_ too long to come to a conclusion that one of his- dare he say it- closest friends was going through something. He thought it wasn't a big deal at first. Figured he was just in a funk, and he'd be fine in a couple of days. It wasn't until the second realization hit him (like a ton of bricks), that he finally started to piece things together.

And the second realization was this; Lance had stopped _smiling_. He didn't laugh, he didn't joke anymore, he was just in a never-ending daze it seemed like. And Keith didn't like it. Lance had lost his signature cocky smirk, and it was like his personality had done a total one-eighty. He was acting like _Keith_. And it was unsettling, to say the least.

Keith tried to ask Hunk about it, but the big teen just gave a small shrug and a sad, tired smile in response. Keith tried Pidge next, but neither of them could come up with a viable reason for the hispanic to be so out of character.

Keith was going to try to talk to Shiro, but his brother was so oblivious sometimes, even more so than Keith. And Matt wasn't even worth a try, he was an oblivious ball of sunshine, so focused on his own stuff he couldn't really see past it. Not that he was a bad guy, he was actually pretty cool sometimes, he just had a one-track mind. Kind of like Pidge when she got focused on something. But whatever. He could figure this out.

* * *

Two days later, Keith was still trying to figure it out. Things hadn't gotten better, in fact, they'd pretty much gotten worse. Keith never thought he would admit it, but he missed the sound of Lance's voice. Because the other teen had almost completely ceased utilizing his vocal chords. And it was both worrying, and pissing Keith off. What was his deal?

No one knew. He gave up thinking about it, and decided to go straight to the source.

And then he talked himself out of it.

So he went to see Hunk a second time, determined to get an _actual_ response this time. But his second venture turned out to be just as fruitful as the first one. All Hunk said, was that Lance wasn't talking to anyone- _including_ Hunk. And just when he was getting ready to call for an intervention, Lance started going back to his usual self. After two weeks, Lance was talking again. Granted, it wasn't much, but it was steadily getting better. Keith chose to ignore the way Pidge and Hunk were hovering over Lance, like mother hens. What mattered was that Lance was doing better.

After a week of slow progress, Lance was starting to smile again. It had been close to three weeks, but the hispanic teen was finally starting to sound like himself again. And Keith was grateful for that- happy even. Except something was still off about him. Another week and Lance was mostly back to his old self, except for a few things that Keith couldn't help noticing.

His smiles didn't always reach his eyes.

He was flighty and nervous the majority of the time.

Every so often, he'd stare off into space, and someone would have to shake him out of his daze.

He wasn't eating a whole lot.

More often than not, he'd start to say something, catch himself, and say something neutral, instead of saying something obnoxious without thinking, like he used to.

Most of these things were normal. For anyone but Lance.

And it rubbed Keith the wrong way. He didn't like it.

But he didn't know what he could do about it, as Lance wouldn't let himself be alone with Keith. They used to hang out often, at lunch, after school, on weekends; doing anything and everything. But Lance didn't even talk to him anymore. He talked to everyone else just fine, but was just short of blatantly ignoring Keith. And that pissed him off.

He had been _worried,_ for fuck's sake. And Lance had come up with their "code". And Lance had been the one who almost always initiated their conversations, and he was the one who planned most of their "play dates", as he referred to them, just to piss Keith off.

And... Keith was lonely, he realized. He missed the obnoxious guy that annoyed the hell out of him. That was surprisingly sweet at times. That always tried his hardest to make people laugh. That had sought Keith out, even though Keith had been a complete asshole.

Lance had brought him out of his shell, brightened his world. And the light that Lance had brought, was fading. Something was dimming him, muffling his light, _hurting Lance_. And that made Keith livid. He couldn't allow this to continue. He refused.

So he'd get to the bottom of it; whatever was bothering Lance.

Because nothing was going to stop him.


	6. Colors Part 2- Mean

**Alrighty! So, with the song lyrics thing that I've been rolling with, I'm still using it, though I'm not using Colors all the way through. I might go back to it for like the last chapter, but for now it more depends on the chapter. This chapter I'm using Mean, by Taylor Swift. I also might use this song more than once, though maybe with different lyrics.**

 _You, with your switching sides_  
 _And your wildfire lies and your humiliation_  
 _You have pointed out my flaws again_  
 _As if I don't already see them_  
 _I walk with my head down_  
 _Try to block you out 'cause I never impress you_  
 _I just want to feel okay again_

 _Someday I'll be living in a big old city_  
 _And all you're ever gonna be is mean_  
 _Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me_  
 _And all you're ever gonna be is mean_

 _Why you gotta be so mean?_

* * *

 **Summary-** **Lance avoids Keith, Keith second-guesses himself, walks in on a situation he wasn't expecting, and we (almost) get a revelation**

Three days later, Keith was still trying to get a chance to talk to Lance. The jerk wasn't even being subtle, just short of running away the second he saw Keith. It made him livid, as he second guessed everything he had ever thought about Lance.

Maybe he had never really cared about Keith; maybe it was just a big joke? Maybe he had pitied Keith, but had gotten tired of dealing with his shit?

The truth was, with every passing day, Keith was getting more and more lonely. He couldn't understand why he was so upset that Lance was ignoring him; he had never cared about anyone other than Shiro before. He was used to being alone, but... he wasn't okay with it anymore. He missed Lance's company, like he had never missed anyone before.

He missed the obnoxious way the latino boy would shove himself up in Keith's face, the impromptu hugs every once in a while, the rare serious conversations they have, the ones where they could talk about whatever. The way he listened to Keith. Like no one ever had before.

If he was being honest, Lance had helped a lot with his anxiety. His panic attacks had been slowly subsiding, becoming more and more rare, but suddenly they were back in full force.

And Shiro was worried about him too. He'd actually crawled in bed with the older male a couple of times over the past week, seeking comfort as he whimpered and cried, shaking uncontrollably. Shiro hadn't seen it that bad in a long time, but every time he tried to broach the subject, Keith avoided it.

But it's not like he had anyone else he could talk to. Hunk was more of Lance's friend than his own. He was really cool, from what Keith had seen, but they weren't close by any means. Through Matt and Shiro, Keith and Pidge had gotten left to their own devices with each other on more than one occasion, but it was more like silent companionship. They enjoyed spending time with each other, but it wasn't as vocal as his time with the others. They were comfortable just sitting together. Sometimes playing video games, and sometimes he'd even help Pidge with whatever she was working on. Though he wasn't usually that much help.

Deep down, he knew that it wasn't his fault, that there was something deeper going on with Lance, but he couldn't help feeling abandoned. He was new to the 'friendship' thing that Lance seemed to be so well acquainted with. As far as Keith knew, Lance could make friends with just about anyone. But Keith was about as social as a hermit, and didn't have the luxury of an extensive friend group.

He was practically borderline stalking Lance as the week went on. He couldn't help it, he felt his eyes being automatically drawn to the other teen. He knew the others had probably noticed, but he'd stopped caring. It wasn't until Shiro finally cornered him about it that he managed to get his thoughts out in the open. He'd been bottling everything up, and he was surprised to find that talking about it actually helped him organize his thoughts.

Thursday night found him sitting in his room, head in his hands with his elbows on his desk, lost in thought. It took Shiro clearing his throat four times before he jolted up, realizing his brother was leaning against his doorway, watching him quietly.

"You alright Keith?" Shiro studied him carefully, and Keith avoided his gaze. He didn't feel like talking, and he hoped in vain that Shiro would just take the hint and leave.

He didn't. Big shocker there. Instead, he pulled up another chair, sitting next to Keith.

"Is it about Lance?" He spoke softly, resting a hand on Keith's shoulder.

"I just, something's not right with him," Keith sighed, running a hand through his hair. He gave in and just started talking, he knew Shiro would get it out of him one way or another, his brother had a knack for getting him to spill information that he didn't really want to reveal. An extremely twisted form of manipulation, as he never realized he was doing it. "He's not himself."

"Do you know what happened?"

"No. And he's avoiding me. After he- after everything, he's avoiding me like the plague."

"Do you know why?"

"No. He just, he won't come within 10 feet of me Shiro! How am I supposed to know what's wrong with him, how am I supposed to help him, if he won't come anywhere near me?!" Frustrated was an understatement for him, and it showed in his body language. He was bursting at the seams, holding himself back from ripping his hair out or throwing something or just screaming. He was silently fuming, and Shiro's comforting hand became firm.

"I don't know what happened either, Keith, but you can't be angry with him right now. It's obvious something's wrong, and he's hurting. If you blow up at him, it'll probably make things worse."

"I know that..." Keith let out some sort of mixture of a growl and a whine, as he clenched and unclenched his fists.

"I'm not done. Anyone can see that you care about him, and that he cares about you. Whatever he's dealing with, he probably doesn't want to drag you into it-"

"That's bullshit! Why would he-" Keith interrupted the older teen, only to be interrupted himself.

"Keith, let me finish please," Shiro rolled his eyes, reaching out to grasp Keith's other shoulder, forcing his brother to look him in the eye. "Lance probably needs you. And your moping isn't helping anyone. If I've learned anything in my time knowing the two of you, you're both more stubborn than donkeys. You've both decided what the right thing to do is, and you refuse to choose a different course of action once you've started down a path. And since it's obvious that, for whatever reason, he won't come to you, you need to go to him. Don't be rash about it, or he'll try to run away, but don't take too long. He needs you. Remember- Pa-"

"Patience yields focus, I know," Keith mumbled, looking down at his hands. Shiro's lips quirked slightly into a smile, and he ruffled Keith's hair.

Shiro stood, glancing back at Keith to find the raven chewing on his bottom lip, lost in thought. He smiled to himself, closing the door quietly as he returned to his own room.

* * *

Keith's gait was purposeful, as he made his way through the halls. It'd taken him over half the day to track down Lance, though it had also given him half the day to rehearse what he was going to say to Lance when he finally managed to corner him.

He turned the corner, and froze. He'd found Lance alright, but he'd also found the infamous Lotor, and his posse. The jerks were well known for being the richest and snootiest pricks in the whole school, and were also the biggest bullies. Lotor had Lance shoved up against the wall, smirking and humiliating Lance. Keith saw red, absolutely furious that anyone would dare hurt _his_ Lance.

He was about to beat the shit out of the bullies, when he registered just what Lotor was telling Lance.

"...wouldn't mind, would you? You are a fag, after all. Might as well put that obnoxious mouth to work. Maybe then we can finally get you to shut up. And you wouldn't want your little boyfriend to suffer for your own idiocy, would you? We could always tell everyone about you two. Though I bet he's already sick of you. You just keep running your mouth, and you don't know when to stop. Man, I'd hate to be him. Having to deal with you all the time. But we can always put you to use. Plus, I bet those lips would look so pretty wrapped around my-" His blasphemy was cut off by a hard punch to the jaw, and Keith felt a satisfactory crunch under his fist.

Lotor clutched his jaw, glaring and looking ready to return the favor, when a few of the teachers rounded the corner. The white-haired male glanced nervously back at the adults, before gesturing to his 'friends' and hurrying down the hall. It wasn't until they were out of sight that Keith turned back to Lance, only to find him sagging against the wall, looking equally relieved and ashamed.

Lance avoided his gaze, biting his lip and looking like he had something he wanted to say, but was either afraid to, or didn't know how. However, Keith didn't really give him a chance to come up with something, as he gently grabbed Lance's arm, ignoring the way he flinched at the raven's touch, and tugged him down the hall. "Come on."

"W-where are we going?" Lance asked nervously, looking to Keith.

"We're skipping."

"We can't do that!"

"Why not? The last period is a free period. And you've already been gone most of today anyways."

Keith glanced back, and Lance looked like he wanted to argue, but he kept his mouth shut.

When they reached the entrance of the school, Keith let go of his arm in favor of leading Lance. There were times when the latino boy had to jog to keep up with Keith's purposeful pace, but he still stuck close to Keith.

Lance was so focused on wondering where they were going, that it took him a second to realize Keith was entering a little shop that he had never noticed before. He looked back, and realized they weren't five minutes from campus, and scurried after Keith into the... ice cream shop?

His eyes widened as he followed Keith up to the counter, and listening to the raven's confident tone.

"One cone with cotton candy, and a cup with sherbet." Lance stepped forward, just behind Keith, looking over the other's shoulder at the girl behind the counter. On any other day he would be immediately flirting, but one glance at the look she was giving an oblivious Keith, and he had sidled up next to the raven, gripping his arm and pressing their hips together. Keith gave him a curious look, but didn't comment on it, and the chick seemed to get it, silently scooping the rest of their ice cream. Lance didn't want to question how he'd gone from a nervous wreck to a jealous-and-protective boyfriend figure, so he didn't.

Keith didn't let him even entertain the idea of paying, pushing the cotton candy into Lance's hands in order to distract him. Lance halfheartedly complained about the dirty trick, but they soon settled back into silence, savoring their respective treats.

"So why sherbet?" Lance asked curiously, before adding on to it a beat later. "And how'd you know I like cotton candy?"

"You've talked about it before, plus you like sweet things. I like tart things."

Lance giggled a little. "A bit sour, like your personality?" Keith rolled his eyes, but smiled all the same. They reached a small park, and sat down on one of the benches, mindlessly nibbling their ice cream and watching the few people littered over the green terrain. Lance was smiling as he watched an elderly couple walk hand in hand through the park, while Keith watched a dog playing fetch with its owner.

The silence was comfortable, at first. As the minutes passed, Lance started to get more and more nervous, as Keith started to casually glance at him every once in a while.

Finally, just as he was about to speak, the raven beat him to the punch. "I won't apologize for punching him. He was hurting you."

"N-no," Lance stuttered, jerking to look up at Keith before resuming studying the scenery. "I should thank you, actually, you were my knight in shining armor." His tone, normally teasing by this point, was almost flat.

They fell back into a heavy silence, the unspoken question hanging in the air. Lance's knee bounced as he waited nervously for Keith to speak.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Keith spoke quietly. "How long have they been..." He drifted off, and Lance studied his hands, responding before Keith could find the words to finish his thought.

"I mean, I've always had been bullied," Lance admitted quietly. "It just got really bad about a month ago..."

"That makes sense," Keith nodded, leaning back and turning slightly in order to face Lance a little better. After a moment, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and holding his head in one hand, looking frustrated. "Hey, just... Just what have they been saying to you?" His voice faltered for a moment, then hardened.

"It's-"

"Don't finish that if you're going to say 'it's nothing', because we both know that's bullshit." Keith sat up suddenly, making Lance jump.

"I, Keith..." Lance pleaded, knowing exactly what Keith's reaction would be if he told him.

"Lance," Keith's expression was the epitome of stubborn irrationality.

Lance sighed, and buried his head in his hands, defeated. "Fine."

 **This chapter actually ended up being longer than I'd anticipated, at around 2,300 words, so I ended up cutting it short. Sorry for the ending, but I promise you will get a real explanation in chapter 3.**

 **And honestly, I haven't seen much of the original Voltron, so until September I can't say I know much about Lotor, but for the purposes of this story he is mostly just a name, used in place of some irrelevant name that my brain comes up with.**


	7. Colors Part 3- All of Me

_How many times do I have to tell you_

 _Even when you're crying you're beautiful too_

 _The world is beating you down, I'm around through every mood_

 _You're my downfall, you're my muse_

 _My worst distraction, my rhythm and blues_

 _I can't stop singing, it's ringing, in my head for you_

* * *

 **Summary- Lance gets positive reinforcement, and our gay bois hug it out**

"Lotor found out that I'm... that I'm gay," Lance's voice was quiet, and when he tentatively glanced up, Keith's eyes were wide.

"Y-you're... really?" Lance nodded and bit his lip, starting to get a little defensive, but was instantly defused by Keith's quick reassurance. "Not that I mind, I mean, it's none of my business."

Lance relaxed slightly, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before starting to speak, knowing that if he stopped for even a millisecond, he'd lose all of his nerve. "At first, it wasn't that big of a deal, just a few passing comments and stuff, and a couple of notes in my locker. Then it started to get worse, and Lotor singled me out. I guess I was caught off guard, and before I knew it, I had started to believe him.

"I know I'm obnoxious, and loud and a bit much for most people, but I guess I never really thought about it until it was staring me in the face." Lance swallowed hard, pushing through the emotions trying to overwhelm him. "He told me that I was annoying, and that nobody really liked me, that I was careless with my words and that it was a miracle anyone still pretended to be my friend. He said I didn't even have any redeeming qualities to make up for all my faults, and that I'm just a useless waste of space-"

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Keith was staring intently at his hands, his face blank, but Lance noticed that his tone was a mixture of frustration, and regret.

"I thought I could handle it," Lance told him honestly. "And I was able to, for the most part, until apparently they got tired of my reactions and decided to, well, change tactics." He was silent for a moment, and Keith looked over at him, silently begging him to continue.

"They got more physical. Their words got... harsher, I guess. It kind of hit me like a brick," Lance laughed bitterly, looking up at the clouds, continuing. "It really made me think. 'What if I really am as obnoxious as they say I am. What's keeping everyone around? Why would they even like me anyways? How long until they've had enough?'" Keith was about to interrupt, when a small, fond smile softened Lance's features. "Pidge and Hunk finally confronted me about it. I swear those two are sharper than any knife I've ever seen. I tried to go back to normal after that, with those two monitoring me closely, but I couldn't keep the doubts out of my mind."

"I noticed." Keith mumbled, 'inspecting' his gloves. "Suddenly Mr. Obnoxious was filtering his comments, instead of just blurting out the first thing that came to mind. It just felt _wrong._ That gorgeous smile of yours became all but extinct, and you stopped laughing. It was all so fake, so forced, so... so _wrong_."

"Yeah, I picked up on that," Lance teased his choice of words, and he rolled his eyes, smiling. "And are we going to talk about the fact that you just said my smile was 'gorgeous'?"

"Don't change the subject," Keith felt his cheeks flush, as he pushed through the embarrassment. "A-Anyways, will you listen to me for a minute?" He waited for the affirmative nod before he continued. "You can be pretty annoying, obnoxious, loud, oblivious and distracting, but you can also be incredibly sweet thoughtful.

"You're loyal, helpful, goofy, and it feels like you've always got a smile on your face. You can be intelligent, and observant, even when it seems like you're not. You're aware of people's feelings, you're compassionate, and you're always there for your friends.

"Honestly, I don't know what our group would do without our ball of sunshine. Lord knows Shiro and I are too depressing for our own good, Pidge is an antisocial hermit when you're not forcing her to interact, and Hunk would probably become an insecure mess. You're our glue, you keep us together, and we all need you, for different reasons.

"You're Hunk's best friend. He admires you more than you could ever see. It's obvious in the way he talks to you, he probably envies your outgoing personality, and ability to talk to just about anyone. You help him prove his intelligence, and give him the courage to stand up and fight for what he believes in. You give him the push he needs to follow his dreams.

"You constantly bug Pidge, and she seems to get irritated with you a lot, but it's hard not to notice the way you mother her. You're the one who's most likely to drag her away from her work, forcing her to eat and sleep. She's grouchy in general towards you most of the time, but it's obvious she appreciates what you do for her, she just doesn't know how to convey it sometimes.

"Whenever Shiro talks about you, he's always got this fond smile on his face. You're like a little brother to him, and he's always proud of your accomplishments. Even if that's beating him at a video game he sucks at anyways, or getting an A on an assignment; whenever you're proud of yourself, he's proud of you too.

"And honestly, when I'm having a bad day, you always manage to make it better. So really, there's a lot more to you than just being an obnoxious guy. That's _definitely_ a part of you, but that's just it. _A_ _part_. It doesn't define who you are, it's just one of your character traits.

"And honestly, what those jerks have to say about you doesn't matter. What matters is the people who care about you. They don't even know you. We do. And if you'd told us what was going on, if you'd just let us in, we'd stand up for you. We'd be there for you. I'd be there for you.

"You're the one who came up with that stupid code thing; it's worthless if you don't use it. So please, let me in. Let me help you." Keith glanced up, freezing when his eyes caught the tears streaking down Lance's face. The next thing he knew, Lance's arms were around his neck, as the latino sobbed into his shoulder.

"Thank you, thank you thank you thank you," Lance mumbled, over and over, and Keith let himself relax, wrapping his arms around Lance's torso. They stayed like that for a while, Keith trying to comfort Lance as best as he could. When Lance finally pulled back, sniffling, his eyes shining with emotion as he looked Keith in the eye. "You don't know how much that meant to me."

Keith blushed, looking away, unsure how to respond. Finally, he raised his head, meeting Lance's gaze once more. "Will you stop avoiding me now?" Keith's voice was hesitant, almost hopeful.

Lance's face broke out into a grin, and he laughed, a familiar twinkle back in his eyes. "Of course, don't want you to die from loneliness over there. God knows what you'd do without me." His shit-eating grin didn't leave even after Keith gave him a halfhearted slug to the arm.


	8. Colors Part 4- Leave Out All The Rest

**So this was supposed to be one thing, and turned into something completely different. However, I'm happy how it turned out. This marks the end of this arc, and the next part will be uploaded soon. Everything's been so hectic here, but with summer kicking in I'll (hopefully) have a lot more time to write. But yeah! Hope you enjoy, and R &R if you do! Your feedback makes me happy ^.^**

 **Note- The song mostly only relates to the last few paragraphs of this, but I wanted to use it anyways. Song is Leave Out all the Rest by Linkin Park.**

* * *

 _I'm strong on the surface_

 _Not all the way through_

 _I've never been perfect_

 _But neither have you_

* * *

 **Summary- Bets are placed, relationships are revealed(?!), and Shiro reflects.**

Things settled down quickly. The two were back to constantly competing with each other by the next day, as if nothing had happened. The six teens had gotten together for a group outing, hanging out at the nearest mall to kill time before going to watch one of the movies that had just come out. Pidge had been hesitant to join them, what with all the tension between their fire-and-ice couple, but was pleasantly surprised to find them being absolutely _insufferable_.

Watching them fight over who could puff their chests out further, who looked better in that shirt, and currently who could stuff the most food court french fries in their mouth, Pidge leaned towards Hunk, her eyes never leaving the explosive duo.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually missed this. It was unbearable watching them skirt around each other." Hunk chuckled at her comment, leaning back in the metal chair he was occupying.

"Yeah, it's surprisingly refreshing. Though look! Lance is up to 27!" Pidge rolled her eyes, but Hunk didn't miss the hint of a smile playing on her lips.

The movie was relatively uneventful, considering the fact that four of them were gladly putting up with Keith and Lance. They didn't miss the way the two were looking at each other, smiling and laughing in a way they never had before.

They were walking back to their respective homes, Lance and Keith far ahead of them in the midst of another competition, when Shiro leaned over to Matt.

"Twenty bucks says they're together," Matt opened his mouth, but Pidge spoke up before he could respond.

"No way, those idiots are going to take _forever,_ plus Keith is still denying his feelings. I say a month, minimum."

"Are we going on the actual date they got together, or the date they finally tell us?" Hunk asked.

"Date they got together," Pidge decided.

"Then I say two months. Lance usually flirts with anything that moves, but he gets all insecure and overthinks things when it comes to someone he actually has serious feelings for." Hunk grinned, he knew his best friend. As long as Keith doesn't make the first move...

"Two weeks," Matt decided to chip in as well. "And we should make another bet as to who makes the first move." He got some nods of agreement. "I'm going with Lance."

"Two months for me, and Lance," Hunk reiterated, leaning over Pidge's shoulder; she had her phone out and was recording all the bets. When she finished, she looked up, staring at Shiro expectantly.

"I guess I'll stick with my previous bet, but I'm going to say if it's any time in the next week, or if they're already together. And probably Lance." Pidge nodded, typing in his response, and voicing hers as she typed it in.

"One month, Keith," Shiro raised an eyebrow at her choice.

"Really?"

"Lance is the type to beat around the bush. He already knows his feelings, but he thinks Keith doesn't feel the same. Keith hasn't figured it out yet, but he's the type to immediately address an issue as soon as it arises. He doesn't like waiting." She reasoned, effectively shutting down any questions about her decision. "Besides, if you guys are right, you have to split 20 bucks between you, and if I win, I just made 60." She grinned cheekily, and Matt rolled his eyes, cuffing her affectionately.

They heard an indignant shout, and looked up to find that Lance had shoved Keith off the sidewalk. Lance took off towards them, Keith close on his heels. Pidge snickered, and a few others laughed as well, shaking their heads. Shiro chuckled, slipping an arm around Matt's waist.

"No way," Hunk's eyes were wide, and Lance's jaw dropped. Pidge just punched her brother lightly, grinning at his blush.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" She pouted, and Matt spluttered.

"It's only been a week," Shiro reassured, and Pidge nodded.

"Wait, who asked who out?" Keith spoke up, curiosity in his eyes.

"Matt," Shiro answered, smiling affectionately at the older Holt.

"Dammit," Pidge swore, and Keith looked strangely victorious. The happy couple looked confused, and Hunk took pity on them.

"Pidge and Keith had a bet going on which of you would finally just ask the other out." Shiro rolled his eyes, but Matt looked perturbed.

"What have I told you about making bets?" He chastised, and she rolled her eyes.

"You didn't seem to mind a few minutes ago," the younger Holt smirked, and Matt sighed in defeat.

"Lance, your mouth is still open," Hunk murmured gently, tugging his friend out of the daze he was in.

"W-when did this happen?!" He whined, upset at being out of the loop.

"You're just oblivious," Keith nudged him, grinning.

Lance continued to pout until they finally got back to the school, where Lance and Hunk headed back to their dorm. The remaining four stuck together until they reached the bus stop, where Shiro and Keith had to wait. After the Holts' were out of site, Shiro turned to Keith, smiling sheepishly when he realized Keith had been watching his dorky antics towards his new boyfriend.

"W-what?" He asked, only a little defensively, and his brother just shrugged his shoulders.

"I didn't say anything."

"I know the look on your face," Shiro was just short of pouting, and Keith couldn't help laughing.

"Yeah, I know. But really, I'm happy for you. I haven't seen you smile like that since, well..."

"Since Dad died?" Shiro murmured softly, and Keith nodded, staring off down the street.

"Keith..."

"The bus is here," his voice was soft, as he cut his older brother off, signaling that he was ready to change the topic of conversation.

They were silent the rest of the way home, but before Keith slunk off to his room, he hugged his brother. It took Shiro a moment to hug back, smiling and wrapping his arms around his brother's shoulders. Keith pinched Shiro's arm a little when he was done hugging, and Shiro laughed a bit as he rubbed the sore spot.

"Tsundere!" He called after the younger raven.

"Whatever," Keith threw over his shoulder.

Shiro acknowledged how hard it was for Keith to show affection sometimes, his brother had never really been social. When their dad died it had been hard on both of them, but it really caused Keith to shut down. He didn't say more than two or three words at a time for almost a month afterwards, leading to Shiro constantly fussed over his younger brother until he finally got fed up with the nagging and blew up, letting everything that had been festering inside him boil over.

After he finished letting everything out, he collapsed in Shiro's arms and just cried. Shiro had held him for a long time, letting him cry for almost an hour, and then just talking with him for another two. Keith started to revive a little after that, slowly letting down a few of the walls he had built around himself, at least with Shiro. Keith still tried to pretend to be okay even when he wasn't, a habit Shiro had been trying to get him out of, but it was a work in progress. Keith didn't want to worry him, and while he understood that, he still wanted Keith to rely on him. Nevertheless, his brother had come a long way. It took him a long time to let anyone else in, and really it had only been recently that he had started to talk and truly laugh again.

With Matt and Pidge, then Lance and Hunk, he was starting to reach out to people again. It wasn't a lot, but it was more than Shiro had been hoping for. A new start had been just what the brothers had needed. And hopefully, Lance would help Keith heal. Shiro had seen how Lance had brought his brother out of his shell, and he got a little more lively every day. Shiro was grateful to Lance, in ways the Latino boy would never be able to understand. But that was okay. Because what really mattered was Keith, and if Lance was helping Keith, then Shiro was satisfied.


	9. Colors Part 5- Not Alone

**Summary- Keith seems a bit off to Lance during school, and no one else seems to notice.**

* * *

School on Monday was business as usual. They were boisterous, and it took them all of ten minutes before everyone was sick of their bickering.

To anyone else, the two looked back to normal, but Lance felt something was off. Sure, Keith was bantering back and forth with him, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was still... wrong.

It was in the way Keith moved, the subtle hesitation in everything he did. His reactions weren't immediate and impromptu like they should've been; it was like he was in water, with everything slowed. Even though it was by barely half a second, Lance noticed.

He didn't know why, but suddenly he was hyper-aware of everything Keith did. Scratch that- he did know why. It took him forever, and a period of blatant denial, but he had finally realized that he had a crush on his rival. No, not his rival, his _friend_. Or, at least, he thought they were friends. Sometimes it was hard to tell.

* * *

Keith was doing his best. He was trying really hard to keep it cool. But it was hard. _'This just_ had _to happen on the day I can finally talk to Lance normally again.'_

His chest tightened, and he forced down the Doubt that was desperately trying to crawl up his throat. He wouldn't ruin this. He _couldn't_.

He managed to keep it cool through the first two periods, but by the end of third period the anxiety was too overwhelming.

He needed to get out.

When he finally left the classroom, Shiro was waiting for him outside. Like he always did. because their third period classes were next to each other. And fourth period was lunch. Shit.

He couldn't deal with this. Everything was starting to set in, and it was hard to breathe.

"You ready?" His brother's voice calmed him a little, just enough that he could pretend he was fine. it'd have to do, but it wouldn't last long. How the hell was he supposed to make it through lunch?

* * *

Lance didn't get it. Why didn't anyone else see what he saw? Keith was _shaking_. And he wasn't even angry or anything. He talked just enough that no one even batted an eye, passing it off as Keith just being a moody teen. And yeah, Keith did seem like he was PMS'ing most of the time, but this was different. He couldn't figure out what it was though.

When Keith finished and left early, Lance followed him with his eyes. When he turned back to face the table, he found Shiro's eyes on him.

"You noticed, didn't you," It wasn't really a question, but Lance nodded slightly anyways.

"What's wrong with him?" His voice was quiet, trying to keep their conversation as private as possible as they sat at a table with three energetic (and nosy) individuals.

"It's probably his anxiety," Shiro spoke softly, a hint of heartbreak in every word. "He won't talk to me; he doesn't want to worry me. It's always been like this, he tries to deal with everything himself, and refuses to ask for help. He's gotten a lot better, but I think old habits die hard, and he doesn't really know what to say to me."

"What can I do? I don't like seeing him like this," Lance admitted, looking down at his hands.

"Go to him. I think you'll figure it out. You've done a pretty good job so far, so trust your instincts," Shiro placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"You sound like you're sending me off to the Hunger Games, but with really terrible advice," Lance quipped, smirking good-naturedly. Shiro chuckled as well.

"That sounds about right. Now go!" He made a shooing motion with his hands, and Lance grinned and saluted before standing up. He was about to hurry after Keith, when he suddenly turned back to Shiro

"Um, so where do you think I could find him?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. He didn't like the embarrassment of actually having to ask.

"The music room," Shiro smiled, and Lance nodded. "It's where he goes to be alone, and the professor doesn't seem to mind. It's his little safe haven. It was the first thing he sought out when we got here."

"Got it," Lance slid out of his chair, walking hurriedly, intent on finding Keith.

"Where's he going?" He heard Pidge ask, but he was out of earshot before Shiro could reply.

When he exited the cafeteria, it took him a moment to remember where the music room was. He had only been there a few times, he didn't take any music classes, and wasn't that musically gifted anyways. He could dance, fairly well if he did say so himself, as it was one of the things his family liked to do together, but he couldn't sing well or play an instrument. He kinda wanted to learn guitar, but he had never found anyone patient enough to teach him.

But even if he couldn't really play an instrument, he was probably one of the better dancers in his family, second only to his older brother, so he had never really given music more than a passing glance. It was something he was good at, so he didn't feel a need to try to find a different way to express himself.

He remembered teaching his younger siblings to dance, from ballroom, to tap, to hip hop, along with Samba, Salsa, and Mambo. He and his older sister had done duets for local competitions, and had even won a few. He and his older brother had choreographed some fun modern dances, that they had performed together.

He could remember times when everyone was sitting in the living room, all in the middle of different activities, but they would all get up when a song someone liked came on the radio. They would laugh and sing along, as off-key as possible for the fun of it, none of them really doing the same thing, though that hardly mattered.

It shocked him when he realized how homesick he was getting just thinking about his family. He talked to his parents almost every day, and he had a group chat with his older siblings so they could send him pictures and stories about all the shenanigans their younger siblings had been up to. However, all of that didn't change the fact that they weren't actually _there_.

Lost in thought, he almost passed the music room by. He backed up a little and paused outside the door, and was trying gathering up his courage when he heard it. A softly plucked melody, backed by the barely-there whisper of a voice. Lance held his breath, ears straining to listen.

 _"Slowly fading away_  
 _You're lost and so afraid_  
 _Where is the hope in a world so cold_  
 _Looking for a distant light_  
 _Someone who could save a life_  
 _You're living in fear that no one will hear your cries_  
 _Can you save me now"_

Lance recognized the voice as Keith's. But what surprised him was the raw emotion coming from every word. The pain etched into each syllable was heartbreaking.

 _"I am with you_  
 _I will carry you through it all_  
 _I won't leave you I will catch you_  
 _When you feel like letting go_  
 _Cause you're not, you're not alone"_

Lance barely managed to make out the last few words, as it cut off into silence, and the guitar continued. He slowly opened the door, and found Keith sitting on a stool, hunched over the guitar, eyes closed as his fingers still traveled up and down the fretboard.

He watched as a few tears slipped down pale cheeks, and before he could think, he was wrapping his arms around Keith from behind. He felt the raven stiffen, freaking out for a second before he realized who was hugging him. He didn't say anything, though he relaxed slightly.

"It's okay. You can trust me, I'm here for you and I'm not leaving you alone until you're okay," He whispered softly into Keith's ear, and felt him shudder as a sob bubbled up, barely making it out of the other's mouth before it was choked down. He had started to doubt if Keith had even heard him, when the raven shifted, turning to face Lance just enough to rest his head on the Latino's shoulder. Lance readjusted his arms, pulling Keith closer, and the shorter male just let himself be held. It was a nice feeling.

* * *

A half hour later, they had migrated to the floor, sitting side by side. "Do you want to talk?" Lance murmured, glancing down at the other male. Keith sighed, hesitating a moment before nodding. They were quiet for a few more minutes, before Lance finally broke the silence. "You know you could've told me, right? I mean, we do have our code and all..."

"I know," Keith mumbled, a little ashamed. "I was just so overwhelmed I could barely think straight." Lance nodded in understanding, wrapping an arm loosely around Keith's shoulders, holding him close.

"I get it, trust me I do, but next time, please try to talk to me okay? Things would get so boring if you weren't your usual, crabby self," Lance teased, obviously nervous but trying his best to lighten the mood.

"Yeah," Keith closed his eyes, letting his head fall onto Lance's shoulder once more. Lance absentmindedly brushed raven locks out of Keith's face, blushing a little when he realized what he'd done. He glanced down at his friend, only to find that Keith was sound asleep. He smiled a little, getting as comfortable as possible under the circumstances, trying to let his friend sleep. Lord knew he needed it.


	10. Hold On Part 3- A Little Too Much

**Okay, I lied, I'm sorry, I have no excuses...** **Please enjoy this anyways though, and comments are appreciated. T** **his takes place pretty soon after the Hold On two-part thing.**

 _Sometimes it all gets a little too much,_

 _But you gotta realize that soon the fog will clear up,_

 _And you don't have to be afraid, because we're all the same,_

 _And we know that sometimes it all gets a little too much,_

* * *

Lance was on the floor, with Keith sprawled out on his bed, where they'd collapsed the second they finished the history project due in... Lance checked his watch. 4 hours. Damn they'd cut it close.

"I hate the Greeks," Keith moaned. Even people with chronic insomnia can hate all-nighters. Noted.

"All of them?" Lance smirked teasingly, even though his sentiments were currently identical.

"All of them," Keith confirmed with a hint of finality, and Lance couldn't bring himself to argue.

"Scoot over," he nudged the lump on his bed, rearranging limbs in order to make enough room for himself.

They laid shoulder to shoulder, looking up at the glow-in-the-dark, childish, accurately placed stars decorating Lance's ceiling.

"How'd we manage to forget such a huge project?" Keith asked disbelievingly, frustrated that this time, the procrastination was completely unintentional.

"Well in our defense, she assigned it _months_ ago,"

"Weeks ago," Keith corrected

"Same difference," Lance waved his hand dismissively, and Keith couldn't hold back the slight laugh that escaped.

They let silence fall like a blanket over them, content to stay put, and kind of half asleep.

"What's your favorite constellation?" Keith asked suddenly, startling Lance. He took a long time mulling over his answer, long enough that Keith had started to wonder if Lance had even heard him. But Lance spoke up before Keith could ask the question a second time.

"Probably Virgo," he spoke thoughtfully, and Keith turned his head to look at Lance.

"Really? Why?"

"Well, 'The Virgin', am I right?" Lance winked, and Keith rolled his eyes. "No but seriously, do you know the myth behind it?"

Keith shook his head no, getting curious about Lance's reasoning.

"Well, evidently the Greeks-" Keith made a face, but Lance just kept talking. "-associated the constellation Virgo with the goddess of wheat and agriculture, Demeter, who was the mother of Persephone."

"Wait, wasn't Persephone like Hades' wife?"

"Yep," Lance popped the 'p' sound, continuing before Keith got annoyed. "But the really interesting story is how it happened. Long story short, Hades kidnapped Persephone, Demeter searched for help, Zeus was bribed, Demeter let it all go to shit, Zeus decided to help, Persephone ate six pomegranate seeds before she left, so she had to spend six months in the underworld with Hades every year, and Demeter vowed to not let crops grow while her daughter is in the underworld."

"Wow," Keith breathed, processing. "But that still doesn't really answer my question."

"Why it's my favorite?"

"Yeah," Lance was quiet a moment, before he finally answered.

"I guess it's the whole 'mother's love' thing. Demeter loved her daughter so much, and she went to such lengths to save her. I think that that's really cool." Keith nodded, accepting the answer. They sat in silence for a little longer, before Keith asked another question, with more hesitance this time.

"Hey, Lance?"

"Yes, Keith?"

"About the other day..." He trailed off, glancing over at Lance to gauge his reaction. Finding Lance looking back at him, he sat up, looking down at his hands. Lance sat up as well, but didn't speak, giving Keith time to put his thoughts together. "I just, you seemed to know just what to do. Not that I'm complaining! Just, I'm trying to understand how you basically knew exactly what I needed." It was Lance's turn to look down at his hands.

"I guess there's another reason why I like the Virgo constellation." Keith wanted to get upset over the change of subject, but something about Lance's expression stopped him. "I have two younger brothers and a younger sister, plus an older brother and an older sister."

"Middle child?" Keith asked, and Lance laughed dryly.

"Yeah. Except it's more than that. My older siblings and I were born consecutively, my eldest sister was born first, then a year later my older brother was born, then a year later my sister, and me a year after her. But our younger siblings weren't born until a while later. I was five when Emma was born, and seven when my unexpected twin brothers were born. Us older siblings, we helped Mama with the little ones, which was a lot of pressure.

"I was probably closest with Mia, my older sister. We were inseparable for most of our childhood, we played together, danced together, had adventures together, and took care of our younger siblings together. Hunk was always over too, and I remember how excited we'd get when he came over. But anyways, I was an innocent child, so it took me a while to realize that she'd kind of changed.

"See, Mia was always kind of small. I'd outgrown her before I turned eleven, which I teased her about, in a good-natured way of course. What I didn't know, was that she was getting teased for it at school as well, and they weren't as nice. Mia was super smart too, which I admired, but they made fun of." Keith's stomach dropped, having a feeling he knew where this was going.

"She was so strong," Lance's voice caught a little, but he cleared his throat and continued. "She put up with it for years, probably from second or third grade. I was bullied too, for being a loud and obnoxious freak, but I guess I was just better at dealing with it and hiding it. I was getting close to my 12th birthday when I first found her, huddled in a corner in her room, hyperventilating and crying and looking more scared than I had ever seen her. It scared me to say the least. Having no idea what to do, I just sat next to her, with an arm around her shoulder, letting her cry and work through it.

"After that I got up to grab her laptop, and we spent hours googling and researching and stuff, until we knew everything possible about anxiety, and how to combat it, and breathing techniques and _everything_. We talked about what she thought would help her, and I spent that whole night with her, so she wouldn't be alone, because she asked if I would stay.

"From then on, we were truly inseparable. Hunk got filled in on everything not long after, as he was as much her best friend as he was mine. I ended up telling Daniel, our older brother, about the bullies, and he dealt with them. He's always been big and scary, and football made him incredibly buff, so he was intimidating and convincing, to say the least." Lance chuckled, and Keith smiled as well. "Anyways, we did pretty well, but even Daniel couldn't really protect her from high school. The bullies were smarter about what they did, and there was nothing we could do about it. As the only McClain kid left at our middle school, things got worse for me too.

"The longer it went on, the more I started to believe all the things they were saying to me. I hid it, and a big dorky smile paired with a joke was usually enough to convince my family that I was okay, but it was hard. Comforting Mia when I was close to breaking down myself. I just had to get away.

"When I applied for Voltron Tech with Hunk, things started to get better for Mia, or at least she acted like it. Somewhere deep inside I knew it wasn't really true, but I wanted to believe that she was strong enough to get through it. Besides, it wasn't like she'd be alone. She'd have her family, and me, even though I was farther away than before." Lance sighed, and Keith scooted a little closer, awkwardly trying to be a comfort. "I was so stupid." Keith saw the first tear, and his heart broke.

"Lance, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, I wasn't trying to pressure you into-"

"No," Lance interrupted. "I want- no, I need to. Hunk and I still haven't really talked about it." He sighed, inhaled big, and continued. "I got the call from Mama not even two months after I'd moved here. She, she'd hung herself. She'd locked herself in her room, and Daniel found her, after breaking the door down." Lance pressed his lips together, as a few more tears slipped out.

"The funeral was small, Hunk and I went for the weekend, and it was just my family. It was beautiful, I mean, what I could see through my tears that is." Lance tried to make a joke, but the tears running down his face rendered it unsuccessful. "Mia was just as much a space nerd as I am, and she was a Virgo. I always loved the constellation because of her, but now it just has a different meaning I guess." How he still managed to speak through his tears was beyond Keith, but he wrapped his arm around Lance and tried to comfort him as best as he could.

"After the funeral, I kind of fell into a rut. I had no motivation, I spent most days crying, and I rarely emerged, except for food and to attend my classes. I have to admit though, your taunts made me want to one-up you, made me want to work harder, just to get that stupid smirk off your face. You gave me just enough motivation to patch myself up, and push through that rut. So, thank you, I guess."

"You're welcome, I guess," Keith murmured softly. Exhausted, Lance leaned against his shoulder, but his tears didn't stop. Keith gently moved Lance, getting him into bed. He figured he'd get Lance settled and then let himself out, but that idea was tossed out when the Latino boy clung to him like a leech, refusing to let him go. Looking down at the vulnerable, tear-stained face, his resolve crumbled, and he slid in next to the other male. Lance curled into his chest, all four limbs wrapped around his torso, staining Keith's shirt with his tears, tense.

After a few minutes, Keith lifted a hand to gently pet Lance's hair, and that seemed to be the right move, as the other male immediately started to relax. His grip never wavered though, and eventually Keith drifted off, Lance safely in his arms.

* * *

When Hunk walked into the room a few hours later, he froze with shock at the sight. Blankets were falling off the bed, as Keith laid on his back, with Lance practically on top of him, a leg thrown over Keith's hips and an arm wrapped around his chest. Hunk slowly pulled his phone out and took a picture, sending it to Pidge and Shiro before picking up the finished project sitting on Lance's desk, writing a quick note to the two, and slowly turning and walking back out, shutting the door behind him.

Keith and Lance woke up a few hours later, still in the same position, and blushed as they jumped away from each other. Lance proceeded to have a freak-out when he saw the time, while Keith watched, patiently holding Hunk's note in his hand, waiting for Lance to calm down a bit so he could explain that Hunk, the cinnamon roll that he is, had turned their project in for them. They'd never admit it to anyone, but they'd spent the rest of the day in bed, watching movies together, and fighting over just about every aspect of each movie, smiling the entire time.


	11. Colors Part 6- One Call Away

**So... I don't have an excuse? I hope you enjoy this anyways.**

* * *

 _ **8.0 RS**_

Keith's fingers were starting to shake. It was getting hard to think. His hope was dwindling, and he didn't know what to do. He had enough sense to try to contact Lance, hoping that he would understand. It was too naive to think Lance would rush to his aid, like a knight in shining armor, wasn't it?

* * *

 _ **9.0 RS**_

It had almost been an hour since his last text. 49 minutes. 22 seconds. 23, 24, 25. He was down to focusing on the dumb analog clock Shiro had bought him, watching each second tick by, far too slow for his taste, but constant. He needed constant. It was hard to be positive, what was the point of positivity? That was Lance's job. Lance… Keith closed his eyes for a moment, before jolting them open again. He couldn't close his eyes. If he closed his eyes, all that would be left was himself. And he couldn't deal with being by himself. He needed Lance.

* * *

 _ **10 RS**_

It took all his strength and concentration to send the last text. It took him four tries to get it right with shaking hands- how useless. An hour and a half had passed since the first text had been first sent- it's not like Lance cared. How much longer would he be- why would he care about someone so worthless? It was so hard to fight, the metaphorical darkness was turning into real darkness- weak, useless, pitiful- turning into an unstoppable mantra in his head- what's the point?

* * *

Lance frustratedly banged his head against the table. Pidge was a gremlin dictator, helping him prepare for his finals, while Hunk slipped him food to help him power through. The two were the definition of a good cop/bad cop routine, one practically yelling at him, the other patiently explaining the information once more. It's not that he was stupid, quite the opposite, but his actual teachers never managed to cater properly to his learning style.

He had to understand something completely, needed to know how it fits into everything else they were learning, so it took him twice as long to master the material. However, his retention rate after the initial understanding was phenomenal, so he usually did well on tests.

The second he stepped through the door Pidge had immediately confiscated his phone, 'eliminating distractions' as she called, so by the time he finally got Keith's first text, two hours had elapsed. He immediately stood, his face paling further with each message, as he collected his stuff. Pidge walked back in, cookie in hand, just in time to witness him slinging his backpack over his shoulder. She bristled, about to lecture him, before she looked at him properly. One glance at his face had her deflating.

"Is it Keith?" She asked grimly, and at his nod had her motioning him to wait, disappearing into the kitchen and coming back with a bag of cookies, accompanied by a concerned Hunk. Lance smiled and silently thanked them both for understanding, leaving Pidge to shut the door behind him.

When he reached the apartment Keith and Shiro shared, Lance used the hide-a-key to get inside. Finding most of the place dim, he was forced to find Keith's room primarily by feel alone. It took all his concentration not to trip over shoes and other obstacles that had been left lying around.

Gently knocking on Keith's slightly ajar door before pushing it open, he noticed that the room was also dark. After giving his eyes a moment to adjust, he started to make out a figure curled up in the far corner of the messy bedroom. Lance pulled the door shut quietly, making his way over to Keith, who appeared to be having a severe panic attack.

Making sure to keep his distance, Lance knelt down in front of the shaking male directly in front of him. "Keith?" He whispered, wincing at himself for disturbing the eery quiet of the apartment. Keith flinched at the sudden sound, curling in on himself more. "Oh, no, it's just me, it's Lance." He kept his tone as soft as possible, relieved when Keith uncurled slightly to peek up at him, still shaking profusely.

"L-L-L," Keith tried to pronounce his name, and Lance's heart ached, looking on at the state his friend had been reduced to.

"It's me, I'm here," he gently hushed his friend, wanting, no, _needing_ to reach out and comfort Keith. He knew he couldn't though, not until Keith had told him it was alright. "Can I touch you?" He asked, desperate for a positive indication.

A pause. An endless, awful pause, but finally Keith nodded his assent. Lance slid closer slowly, aware that sudden movements would only work Keith up further. He gently put an arm under Keith's knees, using his other hand to support Keith's back as he pulled the raven into his lap, rocking him gently. Lance crooned softly when Keith let out a few ugly sobs, curling closer and digging his fingers into Lance's shirt, holding fast.

Lance sat and just held Keith, rocking back and forth. After a few minutes, he started humming, feeling Keith relax at the comforting vibrations. Not long after, he started actually singing the words, just loud enough for Keith to hear but not loud enough to be overwhelming. Keith continued to cry, but Lance knew that he was listening.

 _"And when you're weak I'll be strong  
_ _I'm gonna keep holding on  
_ _Now don't you worry, it won't be long, Darling  
_ _And when you feel like hope is gone  
_ _Just run into my arms_

 _I'm only one call away  
_ _I'll be there to save the day  
_ _Superman got nothing on me  
_ _I'm only one, I'm only one call away  
_ _I'll be there to save the day  
_ _Superman got nothing on me  
_ _I'm only one call away."_

He repeated the chorus over and over, his silent apology mixing with a renewed promise, humming it to himself even after Keith had fallen asleep.

"I'm only one call away-" Lance abruptly fell silent, his jaw setting as he watched the soft, hitching rise and fall of Keith's chest. He _wouldn't_ be late again.

* * *

 **So, I actually do have plans for the rest of this? If I can pull it off...**

 **Next part should directly follow this, if I can find the motivation. It IS started though, so that's something, right?**


	12. Colors Part 6- Let Me Love You

**So, this is an angst train disguised as fluff. But don't worry, it gets worse- I mean better.**

 **Keith remembers the cause of his upset, Lance tries to comfort him, ideas start to brew.**

* * *

 _Say, go through the darkest of days,_  
 _Heaven's a heartbreak away,_  
 _Never let you go, never let me down,_  
 _Oh, it's been a hell of a ride,_  
 _Driving the edge of a knife,_  
 _Never let you go, never let me down,_

 _Don't you give up_  
 _Nah-nah-nah,_  
 _I won't give up_  
 _Nah-nah-nah_  
 _Let me love you_  
 _Let me love you_

* * *

Lance woke to a nose full of a familiar black mullet. He stiffened, before slowly starting to recall details from the previous night.

 _After watching the hitching rise and fall of Keith's chest, waiting long enough to ensure that Keith was sufficiently conked out as to avoid him waking up, Lance finally attempted to put him to bed. He carefully stood, carrying Keith to his bed and tucking him in, whispering an apology unheard by its recipient, for not helping Keith sooner. Of course, the second he tried to pull away, Keith had held onto him, refusing to let Lance go. Just his luck that his mullet-head was still incredibly strong, even unconscious A few minutes of pointlessly trying to get the raven to release him, he gave up and slid under the covers beside his friend, succumbing to the insistent pull of sleep, refusing to dwell on the fact that he had referred to Keith as "_ his _mullet-head" in his mind._

Lance gradually relaxed, resolving to wait until Keith started to stir before trying to get out of bed, not willing to wake his friend up after the stressful night he'd endured the night before.

However, Lance was not a patient man. His strange enjoyment for watching the steady rise and fall of Keith's chest, as well as how the soft puffs of breath made that silky black hair flutter, only lasted so long. Eventually, he became hyper-aware of how cramped his shoulder felt, and how uncomfortable it was to have his knee bent at that angle, and three dozen other issues. Never mind that he hadn't put his face mask on the night before, so Lance could practically _feel_ the clogging in his pores.

Fortunately for Lance's urge to furiously scrub his face, Keith chose that moment to stir. Beautiful grey eyes blinked open sleepily, and Lance felt his breath hitch. If he thought Keith was cute normally, a sleepy Keith was absolutely _adorable_. Without thinking, he reached a hand up to brush Keith's hair out of his face, giving him a soft smile.

"Morning sunshine," Lance murmured, reluctant to break the peaceful mood. The flush that immediately rose over Keith's cheeks managed to make him impossibly cuter, and Lance tried to commit it to memory.

"Uh, hey," Keith croaked unintelligently, blinking in a confused way that made it difficult for Lance to keep from squealing.

 _God, he was gay._

* * *

Keith woke slowly, feeling strangely content. With each second that drew him closer to consciousness, he started to remember the night before. Unwilling to open his eyes just yet, he took a moment to replay the events leading up to the moment he fell asleep. He remembered that he was upset, and had texted Lance. Snippets came back to him, and he faintly recalled Lance's face somewhere in there, but the panic attack had jumbled his perceptions, making his memories unreliable.

Speaking of Lance, he wondered what had happened after he had fallen asleep. Had Lance left? He couldn't remember. Awake enough to start recognizing sensations, Keith felt the familiar warmth of his bed, his blankets, his pillow. However, something seemed off. There was a lump pressed against him, both strange and comfortable. He decided he liked the sensation and finally opened his eyes to blearily try and identify the lump, only to come face-to-face with bright blue eyes.

It took him a moment to register that eyes belonged to people, thus there was a person in his bed. Before he could react, he finally took in the distinctive features of the individual laying next to him.

"Morning sunshine," Lance's voice was soft, and Keith absently watched those soft lips move in time to the words slowly registering in his ears. He felt gentle fingers brush the hair out of his face and had to keep himself from leaning into the touch.

"Uh, hey," Keith struggled to wrap his lips around the simple syllables, feeling his face flush in embarrassment at both his own lack of words and the endearment in Lance's. In the morning light, Lance's skin seemed to glow. He practically sparkled, and Keith couldn't take his eyes off of the beautiful Latino.

 _God, he was gay_.

* * *

Lost in their own little world, it took a few minutes of basking in comfortable silence before they made the decision to get out of bed, mainly driven by insistent bladders. They went through their morning routines in silence. Keith brushed his teeth to the whining complaints of a distraught Lance, thoroughly miffed that there was nothing even slightly resembling a health product. Not even lotion could be found anywhere in the apartment. "It's a disgrace!" Lance emphasized, to an impassive Keith.

After months building a friendship with Lance, Keith had learned that it was easiest to let Lance rant uninterrupted and get it out of his system. While the Latino carried an excessive flair, it tended to lessen the second he got distracted, generally proving to be harmless.

Unknown to Keith, Lance was making a personal resolution to slowly transfer some of his products to the Shirogane apartment, even going so far as planning out where he'd inconspicuously place each vital bottle of self-care. Keith took the silence for granted, assuming that Lance had simply given up.

After the two were had sufficiently taken care of their sanitary needs, the next task on their agenda was food. Lance surveyed the contents of their fridge, further becoming disappointed with Shiro and Keith. He had assumed that at least Shiro had some sense in him, what with his intensive training regimen to maintain his physical fitness. Unfortunately, as Lance was coming to find, physical fitness and cooking ability are completely unrelated skills. Especially in beefcakes.

Finding somewhat questionable ingredients, Lance cooked what he dubbed the "college omelet". Which basically meant a combination of complementary ingredients tossed in a frying pan and mixed together, cooking until a food substance was formed. Ignoring the relatively unappetizing physical characteristics, Lance found some mixtures to be surprisingly tasty.

They made it halfway through their food before Keith suddenly dropped his fork, the clatter of silverware jolting Lance out of his thoughts. Keith abruptly stood, and Lance looked up at him with confusion, curious as to what had sparked the sudden 'disturbance in the force' look that Keith had adopted. Lance couldn't help likening Keith's facial expression to someone who had just seen a ghost.

"I," Keith drifted off, seeming troubled by whatever thought he was trying to convey. "I remember last night." Lance's brow only furrowed further, he was unsure why helping Keith through a panic attack was a good reason for this reaction. Unless...

"Hey, I'm so sorry that I was so late last night, Pidge took my phone, which is really no excuse, but I swear it won't happen again! Next time I'll be quicker I promise. I'm really sorry," Lance panicked, worried he had upset Keith.

"No, no it's not that," Keith's face went abruptly blank as he sat back down, looking at Lance, though Lance got the feeling Keith was really looking _through_ him, not directly at him. Lance raised an eyebrow, almost positive that he had seen a slight tremble to the raven's lips. "I remember why I was so upset last night." Keith finally elaborated, his voice so low that Lance had to strain to hear him. Growing progressively more worried, he reached forward slowly, placing a comforting hand over Keith's shaking ones.

"Hey, it's alright," Lance tried to get Keith to focus on him, leaning forward to try and maintain some eye contact. The second Keith met his questioning gaze, the raven's eyes started to well up with tears.

"I'm sorry," Keith whispered, rubbing at his eyes with his free hand, seemingly unwilling to move away from Lance's touch. Keith turned his hand over, gripping Lance's hand in return, using it as a grounding technique. Lance remained quiet, patiently waiting for his friend to share the cause of his upset. "Yesterday, there was an accident. I can't believe I forgot," the last part was muttered, and Lance immediately shushed the self-antagonizing behavior. Keith took a deep, steadying breath, and met Lance's gaze, a determined look in his teary eyes.

"Shiro was rushed to the hospital," Lance's breath hitched. "But his car flipped and his arm was trapped under a lot of heavy metal. I don't know all the details, but I, they had to amputate. I went to the hospital, and..." Lance's eyes had teared up, and Keith was struggling to get through all the information he was so obviously burdened with.

"The windshield shattered, and a shard got the bridge of his nose pretty bad. It was stitched up and bandaged from what I saw, and the doctors said that there's nothing else that is really wrong, so he should only be in there a few more days to make sure nothing goes wrong, but I..." Lance stood, rounding the table and pulling Keith up into his arms. They slowly sank to the floor, Keith sobbing openly, Lance letting silent tears fall at the plight of his stressed friend, offering what comfort he could.

When the sobs faded sniffles and the occasional hiccup, Keith finally relaxed against him, softly voicing his understandable fears. "I'm just worried about how this will change things. They said something about an experimental prosthetic, but I don't know if we could even afford something like that."

Lance hummed thoughtfully, gears slowly starting to turn in his head. Not wanting to get Keith's hopes up if it wasn't possible, Lance kept quiet, though he resolved to make a few calls once he felt comfortable leaving Keith by himself.

"I'm scared," Keith whispered, and Lance couldn't stop the reassuring coo that left his vocal cords as he started running his fingers through long black strands.

"I know, it's okay to be scared, but everything's gonna be alright," the Latino whispered back, slowly rocking them side to side, humming an old lullaby that his mother had once sung to him. Eventually, he managed to get Keith to fall back asleep, and carefully maneuvered the raven back into his bed. With all the stress he was under, Lance thought he more than deserved some solid rest. As soon as he was certain his friend was out cold, Lance slipped away to make his phone calls.


End file.
